Challenges

During the past year of challenges, several of you have asked me if there’s anything you can do to help. Sometimes this happened in the context of the current economic environment, and sometimes in the context of the impact of the cool summer weather. So I’ve been thinking about that, and this is my answer.

We need to sell out our Winter and Deep Winter Vegetable CSA Shares.

We’ve invested a tremendous amount of energy and a not inconsiderate amount of money in setting the stage for these crops: costs for seed, fuel, labor, and the tractor tire we popped when we were finishing beds for the winter radishes. It looks like we are going to have a great harvest of carrots, beets, winter radishes, turnips, and rutabagas; we’ve got a nice crop of potatoes up on the ridge; the squash down at the rental ground seems to be making the most of this very late fall. We are also looking forward to having nice crops of spinach, baby lettuce, and other greens in our greenhouses.

So, please sign up, and sign up soon. It would be wonderful for my peace of mind, and it would be better to focus our energy on activities other than selling winter shares for the important month of October.

We’ve enclosed a sign-up form in this week’s CSA box, or you can get one off of the internet at http://www.rsfarm.com/CSA/SignUp.html

Farm Happenings

Weather: Nice and warm this week, plus we got a quarter-inch of rain on Tuesday. It took all day to get that little bit, but it washed a little of the dust off of things.

Comings and Goings: We had a short crew this week, with one person out sick for a day and another on vacation; with a small crew, this makes a big difference. My mom, Karlla, came to visit for the week, and did an amazing number of little things around the house and farm that make the world feel in control: washing the houseplants, pulling the weeds around the house (those never seem as important to me as the ones in the field), and organizing and culling the contents of the chest freezer, among a bevy of other tasks.

What We Did: Picked and packed, and picked and packed some more.

In the Kitchen

Lookout! That little red Cherry Bomb pepper is pretty darned hot. We put stickers on them so you would know. I love these cute little beauties, because they pack a punch of both heat and flavor, with some of the richest, sweetest taste I’ve every encountered in a hot pepper. Chop them fine and use sparingly in salsas or sauces.

When this week’s box gets home, you’ll want to put the radicchio, broccoli, carrots, and celeriac in plastic bags in the refrigerator. Salad mix and spinach already have bags, and the peppers don’t really need one if you put them in the crisper drawer; these all go in the refrigerator. Tomatoes go on the counter, and you should open the Sungold pint. The onions go in a cool, dark, and dry place.

Radicchio is most appreciated in this country for its bright red leaf, often seen in store-bought bagged salads. The bitter flavor is more often appreciated in Europe. Personally, I have a fondness for small radicchio salads with a dressing of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper; but many people will find the flavor too strong for their tastes. I do think it is worth mentioning here, however, that, without prodding, our six-year old Isabel claims that radicchio is her second favorite vegetable, behind fennel but ahead of Sungold cherry tomatoes. The substantial leaves add a nice texture and earthiness to soups and stews. For a great side dish, cut into wedges, dress with olive oil and salt, and grill for about 3 minutes on a side. Or,

Warm Radicchio Salad with Onions

1 head radicchio
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt
red onion (mini-onions would work here)
pepper

Thoroughly wash and dry a head of radicchio. Make a vinaigrette of 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and 3 tbsp olive oil with salt to taste. Slice the onions very thin, and sauté them quickly in a large skillet until limp and a little browned. Add the radicchio and the vinaigrette and toss quickly over heat until it just begins to wilt. Season with ground pepper.

Tomato production continues to wane, both with the Sungold Cherry Tomatoes and the Round Red Tomatoes, but the Sweet Red Peppers don’t seem likely to quit any time soon. Both of the kids and my mom can’t seem to get enough of them, and neither can I. For lunch and dinner every day, we slice them and enjoy.

Definitely the ugly duckling of the vegetable world, Celeriac is the same species as celery, but bred for the swollen root rather than the fleshy stems. A more primitive version of the species, celeriac has contributed almost all of the modern pest resistance to celery varieties (To do this, breeders mate celeriac and celery, then mate the results back to celery over seven or so generations, selecting for both disease resistance and celery characteristics). The flavor chemistry is basically the same as that for celery, and the texture of the roots is similar to potatoes or turnips; in fact, it has at times been called “turnip-rooted celery”. Use it anywhere you would use potatoes, such as in soups or gratins. The strong flavors of celeriac salads taste wonderful in cool weather, and a little bit goes a long ways.

Celeriac-Potato Gratin

1 or 2 celeriac, in 1/2-inch cubes
3 large potatoes, in 1/2-inch cubes
(these two items should total about 6 cups)
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock or water
1 cup sharp cheddar, grated

Cook celeriac and potatoes in boiling water for about 20 minutes, until tender. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add flour and cook until golden. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the stock. Retrun to heat and stir until boiling; cook until thick. Season with salt and pepper. Place drained vegetables in a shallow 8-inch casserole dish; add sauce. Sprinkle cheese over casserole. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.